


My company, our destiny

by phoenix_84



Category: The 100 (TV), clexa fandom
Genre: Brief mention of Costia and Jake Griffin, Clarke is a struggling artist/photographer, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Lexa is an owner of a publishing company, Love in times of struggles, a little bit of humor especially from Raven Reyes, but going bankrupt, clexa au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-10-24 01:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17694905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix_84/pseuds/phoenix_84
Summary: A modern Clexa AU. Lexa Woods is the owner of Woods Publishing, a company that produces magazines that show beautiful photos about travel, lifestyle, food and the arts. The company has been seeing a lot of downward trend in their sales since their featured stories almost seem repetitive. Clarke Griffin is a struggling artist and photographer whose job in an art gallery selling well-known people's works only makes her more frustrated that she can't showcase hers because, well, she is relatively a nobody. A chance encounter one night in a bar leads to opportunities in work that they are both craving for, but they both agree to keep it strictly professional. Or can they?





	1. Chapter 1

Lexa scratches her head. Every so often she would look at the papers she was holding on her left hand while checking her laptop and scrolling using her right. A big red underline was plainly visible in the watermarked pages.

 _Goddamnit_ , she thinks, _Titus is gonna kill me_.

She looks at the paper she was holding one more time and sighs. There’s no easy way to do this, but it must be done.

She lets out another big sigh before pressing the button to ring her secretary. She asks her to come in after 5 minutes, giving her a few precious minutes to compose herself.

The door opens not a second later, her secretary holding her iPad to take down notes.

“May I come in, Lexa?” she asks.

She ushers her secretary in. They’ve learned to read each others’ moods and her secretary is not one to break her routine.

“Sure, come in Maya,” Lexa replies tiredly, pointing to one of her chairs. As usual, Maya gives a brief nod but opts to stand. Old habits die hard.

Lexa clears her throat before speaking.

“Schedule a meeting with all senior management tomorrow at 1:00 PM. Book the biggest conference room for the rest of the day.” She looks at her secretary pointedly. “Make sure they all attend, I don’t want to repeat myself to any of them.”

Her secretary nods, aware that some of them might be taking half the day off. Tomorrow is, after all, a day before Christmas and some might already have plans for last minute shopping. “Is that all?” she inquires.

“Yes, that’s all.”

Maya purses her lips. “Some might ask what the big rush is, do you need me to tell them anything?”

Lexa shakes her head. “No. I’ll talk to all of them tomorrow.” She is already anxious about it but doesn’t let it show.

“Okay,” Maya answers. “Is there anything else you need for me to do?”

“No, that’s it,” Lexa answers. She’s already feeling a headache coming. “I’ll be leaving in a few hours, no need to stay back for me.”

“Alright, good night Lexa,” Maya says before closing the door quietly.

Lexa stands up. She stretches her back and moves her head side to side, unclenching tired muscles sore from sitting down for too long. Her movements do little to relieve the aches but there’s little she can do about that.

She stays for longer than she expected, going over her notes, crossing out words she doesn’t need to use in tomorrow’s meeting. Satisfied, or as satisfied as can be, she saves her work and logs off.

On the drive home, she thinks of the bottle of whiskey waiting for her, her one vice of a glass a night a welcome relief from her long day.

Tomorrow, a day before Christmas, she’ll need to announce her decision to close the company.

 

******

Lexa arrives at her apartment 40 minutes later than usual. There was a bit of traffic build-up on her usual route, a delivery van suddenly getting a flat tire and slipping on the icy road before ending up on its side. Looking at the damaged van, she thinks of her own car, an old sedan she should have really traded for something more recent. Even some of her managers have better cars than she does. Well, she did have to stop her HR people from giving her a raise for the last two years, she rather preferred sharing the amount around to lower ranking employees than gifting it to herself.

 

While Lexa was relieved to find there was no one injured, she really just wants to get home and get some rest. Thoughts of how the next day’s meeting kept crawling in her mind until she had to actively tell herself to stop thinking about it.

 

Rounding her apartment complex, she parks her car in her designated spot and rides the elevator to the 16th floor where her residence is. It’s not really as big as most executives in her position would like to live in. She just couldn’t think of her two-bedroom place as __home__ , not even after having lived there for almost 10 years. At least, not until Costia…

 

 _ _No,__ she tells herself. __Not tonight.__

 

After getting inside and locking her door, she crosses the threshold into her living room and touches a framed photograph almost reverently. If not for her daily routine of cleaning there would have been smudges on the glass from constant presses of her fingers. She smiles as memories of a big man with an even bigger heart starts to fill her mind.

 

******

_Lexa was almost five years old when she saw the big man for the very first time. It was play time in the adoption center and it was her favorite part of the day, not because she wanted to play with any of the toys but because she could look at some of the glossy magazines placed on a coffee table near the assigned case worker’s desk. She was caught one day looking at some of the pages, and while normally children weren’t allowed to touch those as they had a penchant for destroying paper materials, she was very careful with them and never even thought of moving to another page without making sure she wouldn’t leave the slightest crease. The case workers after that allowed her to go through them so long as she sat in the couch near the table and not make a mess._

_She was one of the older ones in the play group, most of the other children were really no more than toddlers. The case workers explained as much as they could when she started asking questions, about how her mother did not make it while giving birth to her and how she literally had no other family and her father was nowhere to be found so they had to put her in the system. Her little mind could comprehend that she had nobody, therefore she could only rely on herself. She was a quiet little child, keeping to herself even when she injured her hand and it bled throughout during a rather rough incident with one of the older boys in the school backyard. She knew at a young age that she had to fend for herself. The case workers could only shake their head at her stubbornness when they told her to always mention if she hurt herself so they could help and she refused._

_Lexa sat down after taking her favorite from the stack. She loved this particular magazine with it’s cover of mountains and rivers. While looking at a beautiful photograph of a cottage amidst tall dark trees, she saw from the corner of her eye a big dark-haired man with a beard talking to one of the case workers. She accurately guessed that it was one of those people who were looking for children to potentially adopt. She was always looked over though, in her years being in the adoption center she’s seen other younger children go with adults and never come back. She knows they’ve been taken into new homes and she really wanted to be one of them and just belong, but year after year of disappointment left her with resignation. She knows most people liked bubbly children, children who acted like children, and she was a quiet one who never called attention to herself. She looked back at the photograph, a little downcast._

_A few moments later, she saw the big man going her direction and taking a seat right beside her, not too near to make her nervous. He looked at the magazines she was holding and chuckled._

_“Hi, I see you looking at a picture of a house near a forest. That looks rather nice, doesn’t it?” he says, his voice coming out gruff but soft._

_Lexa couldn’t believe this man was talking to her. She was not the most talkative kid in the lot. Why was he talking to her? Couldn’t he see she was aloof?_

_The man continued speaking. “See, that’s also one of the best pictures in that edition. That’s edition 543, isn’t it?” he inquired again._

_She knows it’s edition 543, she started reading early and she memorized the number on the front. She looks down to her lap and gives a little nod._

_“I knew it,” he said with a grin. “You want to know how I know?”_

_She could sense the earnestness in his voice and that makes her look up until she saw his eyes. Kind, shining eyes._

_He smiles even wider. “I know it because I own the magazine! How cool is that?”_

_“Really?” she blurts out, almost unsure why she spoke because she was never used to speaking with adults other than the case workers._

_“Yes, that’s my magazine, the pride of my life.” He holds out his hand to shake. “My name is Gustus Woods and I’m the owner of Woods Publishing. What’s your name?”_

_She was taught to be polite and so she put out her hand, a tiny one enclosed almost comically in his big ones. “My name is Lexa.”_

_He shook her hand gently.”It’s very nice to meet you, Lexa. And it’s nice knowing that some people do admire that particular photograph. I took it, you know, during one of my travels.”_

_“Wow, really? That must be nice,” she mumbles while caressing the picture on the magazine._

_“Yup, and although I’m the owner of the magazine I like to travel myself and take a memory of the places I’ve been to and let others see what I see,” he says animatedly._

_She smiles at him shyly and looks at the magazine once again. A few seconds later, the case worker rings a bell signaling that playtime is over and that the children should get ready to go have their dinner._

_She doesn’t know what to say to the big man as she puts the magazine back on the table. Looking at him, she gives a little wave before looking at her feet and start to turn away._

_Just then she hears the most wonderful words she’s received in a while._

_“May I come back and visit you again, Lexa?” he asks._

_She couldn’t help but feel the knot in her throat growing. She was not sure about her emotions right then, no one has ever asked to visit her and in that moment she couldn’t, didn’t want to speak as words failed her. She instead nods a little, still looking at her feet, and runs to the rest of the group, afraid that he will see the sudden tears in her eyes and she also has no idea why._

_Later, much later, she realized that what she was feeling then was hope, something she had never felt before in her short life._

_True to his word, Gustus started visiting Lexa, at first for an hour every Saturday, and then after a month for as long as playtime would allow which was about 3 hours. Lexa would look forward to these visits. He would bring some treats for her but what she looked forward to more were the pictures he would share with her of his travels. Most of the photographs they liked together would end up in his magazines. Gustus was pleasantly surprised and quietly proud of Lexa’s eye for detail, at such a young age she could read emotion a single photo tried to convey._

__

_Their conversations always ended with Gustus asking if it was alright for him to come back, and Lexa always said yes._

_One time about three months later, Gustus brought a different set of pictures. He laid it out for Lexa to see._

_The first photograph was of Gustus and a bald-headed man._

_“That’s me and my brother, Titus. His bark is worse than his bite, trust me,” he chuckled._

_The second photo was a two-storey house with a fenced-in backyard. Lexa smiled, it looked like a very well-loved home. “That’s where I live,” he said._

_He brought up another picture, and this one made Lexa stare. In it was a young girl with blonde hair on the left, a brown-skinned boy who looked a little older to the right and a beautiful dark-skinned woman with Gustus in the middle with his arm around the woman._

_Lexa felt a twinge of… sadness? Longing? A little jealousy at the smiling people in it? She didn’t even notice her eyes starting to well up._

_“This my family. The girl is Anya, the boy is Lincoln, and that was my wife Indra. This was taken about three years ago, before Indra passed away, “ he said with a faraway look in his eye._

_“Oh,” Lexa said. Now she felt guilty for having felt jealousy._

_Gustus sighed. “Yes, she was the love of my life, she left us when the kids were still young. We had gotten Linc a few years back and had also recently adopted Anya when she got sick all of a sudden, and a couple of months later she was gone... We had always talked about having three children and I’m going to try to keep my word…”_

_Lexa had no words. There were two children in the photograph, might he be looking for the third? Might she be the third? This was unfamiliar territory for her. Yes, she had in her deepest of hearts wished that he was in any way interested in letting her be a part of his family, but she couldn’t also allow herself to trust in just words alone. After all, she has seen people coming in all the time and never coming back. She couldn’t, wouldn’t allow the hope to build in her mind. So she said nothing at all._

_Gustus could sense her quiet so he gathered his family’s pictures away and laid out another book. They would be looking at travel pictures this time. The family pictures were never seen again._

_A month before Lexa’s sixth birthday, Gustus suddenly stopped visiting. She waited patiently for an hour, but once another hour had passed and there was still no sign of him she felt her world suddenly turn dark and cold. She refused to eat her dinner after. She was still hoping that he would show up but the next two Saturdays brought nothing. She had cried herself to sleep that third Saturday of missing him._

_Her birthday finally arrived but all she could feel was sadness. She knew the very person she wanted to see was not going to come. Maybe never going to come back, ever. She sat in her birthday clothes on the couch at playtime, her favorite magazine in her lap and tears falling on the pages._

_“Oh, Lexa, honey,” a gruff voice said behind her._

_She looked around wildly, not believing the voice she heard. “Gustus?” she sobbed._

_He went around the couch and hugged her long and hard. “Oh Lexa, I’m so sorry for not coming to see you,” he hushed, stroking her hair over and over._

_She sobbed harder.”I th--thought y-you didn’t w-want to s-see me again!” she wailed, embarrassed that people could hear her crying but too overcome with emotions to even care. She continued to hold on to him as if her life depended in it._

_He hugged her even harder, and when her sobs became softer and her breathing getting back to normal, he held her shoulders in his hands and pushed his body out a little so he could look into her eyes._

_“I will never leave you again, Lexa, okay?”_

_She sniffled. “Okay.”_

_He smiled. “Good. I want you to listen to what I have to say, okay?” She nodded._

_“The reason why you haven’t seen me for the last Saturdays was that I had to process your papers. It was hard to find any of your relatives, I actually had months of lead time but I really couldn’t, not even the investigator I hired was able to get any leads. So a few weeks ago, I went to court hearings so I could formally petition to adopt you, and they finally signed the papers just yesterday.” His smile got even wider, his tone serious. “Would you like to come live with me and my children, Lexa?”_

_Lexa’s immediate response was to throw her arms again at him. “Yes, I would, thank you, thank you,” she said as she sobbed again._

_"Happy birthday, Lexa," he said softly, kissing her hair over and over again._

_Gustus’ warm embrace was home._

_Meeting Gustus’ children was eventful. Anya was nine years old of sassiness while Lincoln was a quiet 13 year old. Once Gustus showed Lexa her and Anya’s room -- “This is my side and that’s yours,” Anya very clearly laying out boundaries via duct tape on the floor -- they went to eat dinner which was a wonderful chicken roast that Gustus made himself. Lexa was still too overwhelmed to eat any more than a few bites. She was content in just listening to chatter around the table. Once done, it was Anya’s turn to do the dishes so she had a few moments alone in her new room, putting her clothes away in her closet._

_When Anya came back to their room, she immediately sat down on her bed and spoke very authoritatively. “You keep to your side and I’ll keep to mine and we won’t have any trouble, okay?” Lexa could do nothing but nod._

 

_(A few days later, Lexa would save Anya from humiliation at school when she saw a girl who didn’t like Anya put her foot out to supposedly trip her but she quickly got in the way and stepped on the girl’s foot instead, thus earning Anya’s loyalty and trust forever.)_

_For now, snarky Anya was alpha. “Good,” she replied. About an hour after, Gustus tucked them both in._

_This was Lexa’s first night with her new family. She went to sleep with a grateful heart._

__******_ _

Lexa sighed at the memories. She missed her siblings. Anya was an investigative journalist and currently in Europe on assignment, while Lincoln lived about two hours away. She should really call them, it was almost Christmas after all.

 

 _Tomorrow_ , she thought. For now, she had to keep her anxiety at bay with the news she had to announce. She went to bed, thoughts of an uncertain future hanging like a dark cloud.

 

END OF CHAPTER 1


	2. Chapter 2

Clarke Griffin was having a bad day.

 

It wasn’t the worst day, not really close, unless she compares it to the time she had to run after three small children who had somehow managed to evade their carers’ watch in the gallery and proceeded to touch most of the sculptures with their candy-and-cholcolate-coated fingers leaving smudges that took her a couple of hours to clean.

 

 _ _(_ Because they have to be spotless,_ Thelonius Jaha, the gallery owner, glaringly told her, thinking of the artist and how it would impact their gallery if they knew their precious work of art had somehow been in contact with dirty hands they might pull out, and lord knows if they did the others might follow suit, even if really the sculptures were nothing more than melted pieces of bronze that resembled nothing and didn’t even evoke a single emotion from anyone who has ever looked at it -- the sculptor was a favorite nephew of an old ex-governor whose name did bring a lot of influence.)

 

Everything in the gallery was, in fact, nothing more than glorified pieces made by influential people or relatives of the well-known but had to be displayed since they brought in the money. They needed to be put on places of honor or pedestals with shiny plaques that highlighted the artists’ last names. Shiny plaques that she had to clean every day, because of course not a single particle of dust is __allowed__  to touch them. And she has been doing so since 9 in the morning, two hours before the gallery opened, and it’s been two hours of walking and dusting and cleaning and it’s not even opening time yet she was already exhausted. It doesn’t help that she had to be the one to open the doors with a wide smile, ushering the artistically oblivious clientele with cash she can only dream about.

 

She wasn’t really impoverished, but she was struggling. After quitting medicine right after being approved of her residency her mother stopped providing for her. That was her mom’s ultimatum: quit med school and you’re on your own. She knew it would have been a lot easier financially to continue even with the gruelling hours, non-stop studying and 72-hour shifts, but her heart just wasn’t in it. Hasn’t been in it since she discovered art during her senior year in high school and had just fallen in love with color and vibrance and life. Art that she wanted to share with her mother, but who had been very strict in her desire to ensure her daughter had the best life possible and being a doctor herself she knew it would be a good fit and who wouldn’t listen to her request to enter art school. She was a dutiful daughter, but couldn’t stop herself from entertaining the idea that if her father, the late Jake Griffin, were to know she would be following her heart’s desire that he would have somehow approved. So she persisted. Her med school friend Wells Jaha had learned of her decision, and while he was sad to see her leave had connected her to his father, the well-known Thelonius Jaha, owner of Jaha Gallery which was one of the more famous art galleries in New York. She thanked him profusely thinking that finally she could show an influential person on the art world her paintings and photographs and that it would be a stepping-stone to a career she had in mind, not knowing that in the two years she would be working for him that all she has ever shown him is how willing she was to do the cleaning at work. He didn’t have time to look at anything she made and had always made it a point to only be in the gallery if there was an important event, else he would have his assistant Echo doing all the managing. Echo, who has also pointed out that she had no interest in showcasing, even __looking__ , at any of the art she has created because she wanted to please her boss and be just like him.

 

So here she was, having a bad day, but what was one more bad day among all the bad days she’s already had. One more day in this place, maybe get to know someone who might be interested in talking to her and not just treat her like a doormat. Hasn’t really happened, not in the whole time she’s worked in this place.

 

It was a little after 3 in the afternoon that Echo comes out of her office, looking smug in a neatly-pressed suit having just shaken hands with a buyer. After saying farewell to the well-dressed businessman, she went straight to where Clarke was standing near the door, looking a little rumpled despite having put her messy blonde curls in a bun, and hissed. “Be sure to give a smile to the client, you look like you could strangle someone.” Of course Clarke wanted to strangle someone; she had not had lunch since Echo had brought the client outside for lunch, leaving her to take care of anyone who would come inside the gallery, not even thinking that they had skeleton staff today being just two days before Christmas, and that it wouldn’t even give her any time to go to the bathroom. As the client was leaving the gallery she made sure to plaster a smile which she dropped quickly once he stepped into his limousine.

 

“Seriously, Echo, can you just maybe stop thinking about profit and consider that I am really hungry from not having eaten anything since 8AM and I have not even been able to go to the bathroom?” she huffed, leaving a slightly pissed-off Echo. She went straight to the comfort room at the end of the gallery and quickly relieved herself. Coming out she saw Echo put her phone in her pocket and flipping the sign that now says “Closed” to whoever was passing by outside.  

 

Echo checked her watch and looked at her. “I just talked to Jaha, he said we can close early today since I had a sale,” she smugly said. “I’m going to have a pleasant break, not sure about you. Hope you’re still going to be alive since we’re closed until the fifth of January.”

 

 _Screw you_ , she says mentally. What came out of her mouth was, “Yes, I’ll be here on the fifth, Echo,” knowing that she really didn’t have a choice if she wanted to continue receiving the paycheck she had to keep stretching.

 

“Good,” Echo says, sauntering to her office. “I’m getting my stuff and heading out. Bye, Clarke,” not even offering pleasantries usually said during the holidays.

 

 _Happy_ _holidays to you too _,__ Clarke muttered. She proceeded to turn down all the lights and made sure to lock and bolt doors, putting keys in their holders she knows so familiarly having done this same thing for the last years she’s been here. She makes sure everything is properly locked and the alarm activated before stepping out in the cold New York winter. She heads to her favorite coffee shop, fully knowing that she couldn’t really afford to go have an expensive latte but she could at least treat herself this one time. She orders, goes to sit at one of the tables away from the entrance and gets her phone and speed dials.

 

“Hey, Griff,” the voice on the other end says, with a noticeable _clank_  in the background.

 

Clarke smiles. “Hi Rae, you seem to be busy again, is this a good time?”

 

Her friend, Raven, owns a car shop and loves getting grease on her hands, but does clean up in time to open her bar which was just behind the shop, the only good things she inherited upon her abusive father’s death. The bar and car shop, located about 40 minutes drive from outside New York, was close to where both of them grew up.

 

“No,” the voice says, obviously still puttering about by the sounds of metal clanking and groaning in the background. “You’re still coming later, right?”

 

“Of course,” Clarke responds, taking mental note of packing stuff she needed. “It’s alright to stay til the fourth, right?”

 

“Definitely! And you’re still going to help me out in the bar, right? And I’m still not gonna pay you, right?” Rae cheekily says.

 

Clarke laughs. “Of course, you idiot. I’m not going to be smooching my way staying with you the whole time and not helping out,“ she grins.

 

Rae laughs. “Good, because O promised the same thing and I’ll just be behind the bar taking orders and mixing drinks while you two bring out your sexiness and attract the customers and the moolah.”

 

“Haha, not likely, but I’ll give it a shot,” she says. She could never think that Rae’s bar would get the attention of the wealthy, in fact it was a little outside of the center of town to even have a lot of outsiders looking for a place to drink, but was pretty well-known by the locals. “Octavia might be the one attracting, even if Linc were there looking like he could strangle anyone looking even a second longer than necessary.”

 

Linc was really a softie, but could hide it well behind his more than six-foot tall frame and bulging muscles. He was generally harmless, even loved to protect all of O’s friends including her, but he just had this look that could make even the brawniest take a step back.

 

“Great, I’ll be there around 7-ish to help you open, okay?”

 

“I don’t even really understand why you choose to spend the holidays with me and not with Finny boy,” Rae says on the other end. “Where is he going again? Costa Rica?”

 

Clarke sighs. “Yeah, he’s going with his friends. And I really don’t want to be there where all the talk they do is how much money any of them has in their accounts or what they’ve bought.” She takes a breath. “And I don’t want to be the topic of conversation because I’m sure they’re just going to ask me why I work in such a dead-end job and have no prospects for the future.”

 

“Don’t even think that!” Rae answers vehemently. “You are one of the most passionate and talented people I know, Clarke, and I don’t really know why you let them treat you this way. Or why you’re still even with Finn,” she grates.

 

“Yeah, I know how you feel,” Clarke rolls her eyes, knowing where the conversation will lead. Raven has been up her ass trying to get Clarke to leave him for months now. True, Finn was not really the most supportive boyfriend, had in fact tried more than once to steer her back to medicine, or even showed her job openings even if she wasn’t interested, because he really did not appreciate her art or her passion, but he was… well, he was there. And she thinks having someone there was fine, for now. “I know you mean well, but let’s just leave it at that for now, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Rae sighs. “So I’ll see you later, just gotta finish up before I close shop.”

 

“Bye Rae, see you later!” Clarke ends the call. She looks at her watch: five-thirty, which gives her just enough time to get home, pack and drive over to Rae’s.

 

She takes a short bus ride and walks the rest of the way home. She lives in a rundown apartment in the not so good side of town. She couldn’t really afford to be choosy given her meager paycheck and no other source of income. Having gotten inside her door, she locks it and goes to her bedroom. It’s not really a bedroom, she lives in a studio-type, and in order to have a semblance of structure decided to hang beadwork in the corner where her bed is. She goes to her drawer, rummages through to get the shirts, jeans and underwear she’ll be needing for the eleven days she’ll be spending with Raven. Closing her duffel’s zipper, she puts on a beanie,  looks at her phone and decides to call Finn.

 

She goes on her speed dials and presses his name. The call goes to voicemail almost immediately. She doesn’t seem fazed; except for the weekends, most weekdays he was either at work or busy elsewhere. She didn’t really mind it, in fact she likes it better since she can have time to herself to paint or shoot photographs.

 

“Hi Finn, I’m heading over to Raven’s now. You know how signal isn’t really that good there so I might not be able to talk to you til after I get back. Uh, hope you have a good vacation with the boys. Love you,” she finishes.

 

Taking one look in her apartment (thinking of it as a room was just too depressing even though that really was all there was to it), she locks her door with a heavy sigh. Taking the steps to the parking area at the second floor, she goes to her car, opens the back door to throw her stuff inside, and gets on it and starts the car. It doesn’t turn on the first time (she really must let Rae take a look at the old clunker) but it does get to life after two more tries. She silently prays that it can last the whole drive over.

 

This, and another, is her mantra the entire time it gets her to Raven’s.

 

That her car can last, and that so can she.

 

END OF CHAPTER 2


	3. Chapter 3

As usual, Lexa woke before her alarm did. It’s been a habit since childhood, borne from need as Anya usually hogged their shared bathroom so she had to learn to wake up a little early to get a headstart. She didn’t even get enough sleep, tossing and turning throughout the night with thoughts of an impending day.

 

Shaking the nerves out, she quickly brushed her teeth and changed into her running gear and an added jacket. Lexa is first and foremost a creature of routine and she wouldn’t break her usual weekday jog, not for all the anxiety surrounding her. Most especially because of what she would face for the rest of the day that she needed some release.

 

She left her apartment and followed her usual route. Outside, last night’s snow turned to slush so she had to be a extra careful until she reached the park where she usually ran. She timed herself to run for just an hour.

 

As soon as she completed her sixty minutes, she quickly retraced to get back to her apartment. Snow was just beginning to come in swirls. She wanted to be in her office by 9 am sharp and she only had a little more than an hour to spare.

 

She did get to her office at 9 am. She was a bit worried that her car would break down in the middle of the road as it had started to give out worrying sounds, but fortunately it didn’t. She did not even had to rush looking for parking space since she had her own in her office building. Perks of being the CEO.

 

She was beginning to think her streak of good luck might run out soon.

 

Just as the elevator opened to her floor, she was greeted by the sight of Titus.

 

“Titus, hello,” Lexa offered her hand which he took just as formally. They started to walk to her office door, Maya rising to stand in her desk right outside. “Thanks for coming over. Have you had coffee yet?” She gestured to Maya to take note.

 

“Yes, I’m good.”

 

“Coffee for me, please. Thanks, Maya.”

 

Maya nodded, closing Lexa’s door.

 

Lexa walked to her desk and put down her bag. She needed to ensure her thoughts were straight. She went behind her desk to sit, motioning to Titus to do the same on one of the seats in front.

 

Titus unbuttoned his suit jacket before sitting down, clearing his throat while doing so.

 

“So. I saw the office memo to meet later today.”

 

Lexa nodded. “Yes. And I assume you already know what I’m talking about.”

 

He looked at her straight in the eye, “Are you sure this is what you want to do? You’ve worked so hard for this. Not only that, this is Gustus’ legacy. What do you think he’ll say if he were here now?”

 

“I know that, Uncle.” She sighed. “But I also know that if we don’t do this now, I’m not sure we can survive one more year. I mean you know how we’re trending in our sales. Our leads aren’t turning up as well as we want. To top it off, I think our main collection of photographs are getting a bit… stale. They’re good but they look so stiff they’re almost lifeless.”

 

“So fire your photographer. Who’s your main one? Ontari?”

 

“I just can’t fire her, she’s under contract to stay 3 more months. She does have a solid portfolio.” Lexa brushed stray hair back. “Besides, who would I get? I can’t seem to find anyone as talented as Gustus.”

 

Titus fell silent for a while. “So what do you plan to do?”

 

Lexa looks outside her window. “It’s Christmas. I know what they say around the office that I’m heartless but I’m not made of ice.” She looked at Titus again. “I’ll inform them that we have about five months max to turn things around, else they’ll need to be on the lookout for new jobs after. Anyone who feels they cannot commit to this is welcome to leave. I won’t hold it out against them. I would like them all to stay, but no one is indispensable. We’ll quickly fill open positions with those who’ve wanted the opportunity.”

 

Titus slowly nods. He knows a good plan when he hears it. “Alright. I trust that will dispel any talks of… mutiny, for lack of a better word.” He stands up and re-buttons his jacket.

 

Titus paused. “I know this must have been hard, Lexa. I know how much you want to do well for Gustus.” He cleared his throat again before speaking. “He was always so proud of you, all of you.”

 

Lexa gave him a little smile. “Thank you for saying that, Uncle.” They rarely both showed outward affection but they were both fine with this. She walked him to the door and opened it. “I’ll see you later, then.”

 

Titus responded with a brief nod. “Later, Lexa.”

 

Getting back to her desk with the coffee she asked, she continued her day preparing for the meeting in the afternoon. Lunch consisted of a light tuna salad and sandwich which she consumed while working.

 

Twenty minutes before one and she was on her way to the conference room. She was the first one to arrive, and slowly the room started to fill.

 

At precisely one pm, Lexa stood from her seat and walked in front.

 

“Good afternoon everyone. Most if not all of you will be out of the office until after new year, so I want to make sure the holidays give you enough time to really think about what I am going to say.” The tension in the room could have been cut with how thick it was. “As you know, our sales month on month have not really been going well. In fact, we are 10% behind our target, and it seems to just be going higher. Our leads are not turning up the way we projected and our market share is being split even more as digital continues to rise. All in all, I don’t think we will make it to the end of next year if this continues.”

 

A few murmurs could be heard at the back, but Lexa continued to speak in a calm voice. The murmurs died down as she spoke. “I have made the decision, with Titus’ approval, to continue operations for five more months. Within this time, we need to have our sales improve by as much as 25%. Furthermore I would ask that we continue to find more ways to be efficient in our operations.” She looked at each and every one of them. “I would need your commitment to make this work. I will not force any one of you to continue working here if you think you won’t be up to the task. I do want to be clear: I will be fair, but I will look to you to carry your weight if you decide to stay.”

 

She could see a few heads shake in disagreement although there were more who looked like they were in. “Again, I will not ask that you give me an answer right now. Take the time out to think of things, and when you come back I want to know where you stand. That is all, I hope everyone has a good holiday.”

 

The room emptied quicker than it was filled, some walking with others back to their desks. She was not surprised that no one stopped to talk to her. It was big news and it would take some time to digest.

 

She went back to her office and took out her phone from her bag. After a few rings, the call picked up on the other end.

 

“Hey sis, are you still coming over later?” a male voice said.

 

Lexa smiled. “Hello, Lincoln. Yes, I’ll be there around 8. Will you be home then?”

 

“Uh, not sure yet. I, uh, am supposed to meet someone at this bar but I think I’ll be home around 10-ish,” Lincoln said nervously.

 

Lexa chuckled. “Wow, am I hearing uncertainty? Are you nervous, Linc?”

 

Lincoln laughed at the other end. “Well, actually, I’ve been sort of seeing this girl…”

 

“And you want me to meet her, right?” Lexa smiled.

 

“Yeah, better you first than Anya! She’ll drive her away… Lex, I really like her and I want to get your honest opinion…” he said hopefully.

 

Lexa smiled, knowing her brother too well. “Fine, fine, I’ll meet her. But you know I can smell b.s. from a mile away, so she better not break your heart or I’ll do something even you won’t like.”

 

She could hear Lincoln laughing. “She’s great, really. We’ve been together about two months now and she’s really the absolute best.”

 

“Oh, so she is your girlfriend,” Lexa smirked. “I thought she was just a prospect. Okay, I’ll be extra then!”

Lincoln chuckled. “Sure, whatever you say. Hey listen, if you still want to come over at 8 I suggest you head to the bar I’m going. We can meet up there and go home together. I’ll send you directions, okay?”

 

“Sounds like a plan. See you later, Linc,” Lexa said affectionately.

 

“Love you Lexiepoo, see ya!”

 

Lexa groaned. “Please don’t call me that in public, that nickname is so old.”

 

She could hear Lincoln laughing again before he responded. “Fine, Lex, love you!” he said, ending the call.

 

She put her phone down with a smile on her face. Lincoln could be physically called a brute but he was a good big brother who always knew how to cheer her up. He definitely acquired Gustus’ bigheartedness.

 

A few hours more in the office and she was ready to call it a day. She had asked Maya to head out before her but she insisted to keep her boss company while everyone else left. A little after 5 she got her things and locked her office, Maya standing near the entrance with her bag as well, ready to leave.

 

Lexa smiled as they walked to the elevator. “You’re going back to your parents’ in Chicago, right?”

 

“Yes,” Maya nodded. “I’ll be staying with them the entire time. I’ll be back in the office on the 5th. You are too, right?”

 

“Correct.” The elevator door opened to the parking floor. “See you next year, Maya. Happy holidays to you and your family,” Lexa said.

 

“Thanks, to you too,” Maya replied with a wave.

 

Soon Lexa drove out of her office. Traffic was a bit heavy, not surprising with last-minute shopping being done, but she got to her apartment without a hitch. The moment she got in she went straight to her bedroom and got her carry on. She had considered using a duffel bag for her things but decided she wanted the extra space to put Linc’s and Anya’s gifts. She was not sure Anya would make it back for this particular holiday but it was better to be prepared. She had also already packed ahead and only needed to put in a few other things before she headed out. She got dressed and made sure to lock her apartment and set the alarm before heading out.

 

Hearing her phone beep, she saw Lincoln had texted her the address of the bar they’d be meeting at. It was a little way out from her usual route to Linc’s house but she could always ask around if she got lost.

 

Back on the road, Lexa heaved a big sigh. She knew she had so many things to think about especially that the fate of her company rested heavily on her shoulders. These were decisions that most people her age would not even be thinking about.

 

Looking at her mirror at the receding New York skyline, Lexa sent a mental prayer to Gustus asking for strength and a miracle. She was really not sure how much that mental thought would get heard by whoever was there to listen.

 

Little did she know that in a few hours she would meet the person who would change the course of her life forever.

 

 

END OF CHAPTER 3


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing Clarke did was launch herself at Raven, shouting, “Rae!”

 

Raven staggered a bit. “Oomph! Hey, you big lug,” hugging Clarke back.

 

“I miss you so much, you idiot,” Clarke said, her voice a little muffled as she continued nuzzling her face on Raven’s hair.

 

Raven laughed. “Who are you calling idiot, idiot? You’re the one who hasn’t visited her bestfriend since last year, jerk.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. There’s just too many things to do at the gallery,” Clarke said, stepping back a little. “I miss your face.”

 

“Damn right you do,” Raven smirked. "I am just about the best piece of art you’ve seen in a long time.” Now that Clarke let her go from her killer hug, she got the wrench she dropped a few seconds ago and walked to the wall she hung her other tools.

 

Clarke looked around for a place to sit. “So, what’s keeping you busy around here?”

 

“Oh well, you know, the usual car repairs. Some would even actually come here to have their home ACs or fridges fixed, can you believe that?” Raven wiped her hands clean with the towel she kept at her back pocket. “I could make good money out of it. And I don’t even have to go deliver it when I’m done, they’re more than happy to just pick it up.”

 

Clarke smiled. “That’s good. That company still calling you?” She was referring to one of the more persistent engineering firms that had called Raven non-stop since she graduated from MIT six years ago. They were on the lookout for fresh talent and she was one of the best students in their batch. She turned down the offer so she could go home and tend her dad’s shop and bar after learning he was sick with cancer. Eight months later he passed away and left everything to her.

 

“Yup, they’re seriously hung up I have no idea why. Oh wait, I know why,” Raven wagged her eyebrows. “I’m a genius and they know talent when they see it.”

 

Clarke laughed. “Whatever you say, Rae. Hey listen, did O say she was coming already?”

 

“Right here, bitches!” a loud voice said from behind. All three of them whooped as Octavia gave a tight embrace to Raven, and then Clarke, her dark hair flying crazily. “God, I miss you two! Why did we take too long to meet?”

 

“Because Clarke here is a secret masochist and won’t leave her stupid job while you are always busy with police work,” Raven retorted.

 

Octavia snickered. “Yeah, some of us want to make sure people like you get to sleep well at night.”

 

“Yeah, whatever, Octopus,” Raven said, earning a jab from Octavia. “Ouch! If I had to guess I think Lincoln’s the one keeping you away from me.”

 

Clarke’s eyes went to Octavia. “Who’s Lincoln?”

 

Octavia shyly replied. “I’ve been sort of seeing him the last couple of months…”

 

“And what does he do? Does he treat you right? Is he taking care of you?” Clarke asked.

 

“Geez, relax Griffin! Yes, he does. He’s also an officer in a different unit. In fact, you can go meet him later. I told him to meet me at the bar before we head to his place," Octavia responded.

 

Raven guffawed. “Somebody’s getting laid tonight!”

 

“I wish!” O replied. “One of his younger sisters is coming to stay with him until January, so I’m not sure there’s gonna be action happening… But it’s not as if situations like that have really stopped us from doing what we wanted…”

 

“Keep it in your pants, O!” Clarke laughed.

 

“And I heard that the sister’s hot, like your type of hot, Griff…” Octavia smiled suggestively.

 

“Don’t even go there! Besides, you know I have a boyfriend,” Clarke replied.

 

Raven snorted. “Yeah, and he’s a douche who doesn’t treat you well and ignores you most of the time. Like what do you see in him, really?”

 

Clarke sidestepped the question. “You know what, I’m really not in the mood to talk about him tonight so let’s just focus on enjoying our holidays, okay?”

 

“Whatever you say, Griff,” Raven replied, “So, speaking of which, you two will serve the customers tonight while I stay behind the bar and mix the drinks, got it?”

 

Clarke and O both rolled their eyes. “Got it, Rae!” Octavia replied.

 

Raven laughed. She walked with the three outside the shop, closed the lights and locked the shop door. “You have your things with you, Griff?”

 

“Yeah,” Clarke said, getting it from her car. “I’m gonna have a quick shower, I smell like the road.”

 

“Me too,” Octavia chimed in.

 

Soon the three of them were done changing. They all agreed to wear something dark in case someone spilled anything on them. Raven was wearing a dark blue sleeveless shirt that showed off her tanned arms. Octavia wore a black blouse with dark blue jeans. Clarke on her end was wearing tight black jeans, boots and a tight shirt that showed off the tops of her cleavage. Raven whistled appreciatively, “That sure is gonna attract customers tonight if nothing will.”

 

“Shut it, Rae, my other black shirt was in the laundry.” Clarke laughed.

 

Octavia put her arm around Clarke. “That will surely get Linc’s sister’s attention,” she smirked.

 

“Stop it, you two, let’s just go down and tend bar.”

 

All three of them went downstairs, Clarke bringing a jacket just in case. The temperature in the bar was kept cozy and warm, thanks to Raven’s keenness in making sure her shop and bar’s machines and appliances were well tended. It was already a quarter until 8, the regulars would start coming soon.

 

About eight-thirty and they had a good crowd going. It was not a very large bar, it never got to more than fifty customers at its peak. It was first and foremost a local bar and it wasn’t really made for a large crowd. Most of the customers were people meeting up with friends or the locals looking for a drink before the festivities the next day.

 

Clarke and O were both busy taking orders. It was strictly drinks and peanuts until midnight, the kitchen closed for the holidays. Clarke was already tired, having been up since morning and spending a couple of hours driving. Still she was glad to be busy and helping Raven out. She loved her friends and thought this was one of the best ways to spend the holidays.

 

************

Lexa parked in front of the bar. _Reyes_ , she read. _Simple enough name for a bar, quite memorable and uncomplicated _.__ She went outside and locked her car, putting her gloved hands in front of her mouth and breathing warm air into them before rubbing.

 

Pushing the door open, she was pretty surprised at the gust of warm air that greeted her. It was a good kind of toasty, enough to have her removing her gloves and jacket. Looking around, she sort of expected a dive but it was rather well-kept and clean. The lighting was cozy and not too dim. She walked slowly, trying to find an empty booth.

 

A wall with a collection of photographs and a painting near the counter caught her attention. Curious, she walked to it. They looked like they were haphazardly pinned, some old polaroids and some on film.

 

Lexa stared at the pictures one by one. Although the lighting in the bar was not too bright, she could easily see that they were caught with a good eye and steady hand. The photos showed a group of girls, sometimes with boys, but mostly the trio of girls would be in a photograph in one form or another. In one was a girl with the upper half of her body under the hood of a big pick up truck, the toned muscles in her arms as she was holding up the hood clearly showing. In another, a girl on a horse threw her head back as the camera captured the carefree way she rode. In another, the camera clearly held in an outstretched arm, a gorgeous blonde could be seen sticking her tongue out to the two girls who were swimming in a lake.

 

Some of the photos were beautiful shots of nature or blurred out scenes of lights, _This bar, I assume _,_  _Lexa thought _,_ noting the telltale sign of “Reyes” on the corner of the photograph. There were about a dozen more that she couldn’t see which were hung higher than the rest.

 

The thing that really caught her eye was the painting at the far end. It was mostly a stroke of blues and blacks, but she could see that it was the night sky, painted in an interesting way as if the artist perceived it differently. She stared at the painting, mesmerized.

 

************

“Yo, Clarke, you still good?” Octavia asked. They both sat on the counter, stopping for a bit seeing that no one had come in.

 

Clarke nodded. “Yup, I’m good. Listen, I’ll just run to the bathroom real quick, can you hold the fort for me?”

 

“Sure,” Octavia said. Right when Clarke turned the corner out of sight, a brunette entered.

 

_She looks good _,__ Octavia thought, noting her slim figure right after she removed her jacket. Knee-length boots on skinny jeans, a black fitted sweater and thick wavy locks completed her look. _Understated yet classy _.__

__

The woman continued to walk her way. Something about her was very familiar, and then it clicked.

 

_Oh my god, that’s Lincoln’s sister! Damn, she’s hot _,__  Octavia noted. The other woman continued walking, then stopped at the wall where the photographs were. She was still looking at them when Clarke came back. “What did I miss?” she asked Octavia.

 

Octavia decided to play it cool. “There’s a customer looking at your wall of photographs, why don’t you go ask her if she wants anything?” _Maybe she’ll want you _,__ O thought wickedly.

 

Clarke furrowed her brows. “Why don’t you serve her?”

 

Octavia rolled her eyes. “C’mon Clarke, my legs are killing me and I just want to sit here in case Raven needs anything.”

 

“Fine,” Clarke replied, going to the direction of the woman. From behind she could clearly see that the other woman was quite interested in her photographs. _Oh my, that hair is gorgeous I just want to thread my fingers around it, and that body -- Clarke, stop ogling the customer,_  she berated herself. She couldn’t help but feel happy though that someone was looking at her pictures.

 

She stopped behind the brunette and cleared her throat.

 

************

A throat behind her cleared. “Admiring my pictures, I see.” The voice chuckled, low and playful. “My name’s Clarke. What can I get for you?”

 

Lexa did want to talk to the artist and find out what else she had. Her pictures and artwork were interesting to say the least and she wanted to find out if she had other works she could show--

 

She turned around and all thoughts fled as she was met with the most beautiful pair of blue eyes she had ever seen.

 

************

Clarke felt her chuckle freeze in her throat; she could only stare when the most gorgeous green eyes she’s seen her entire life gazed back at her.

 

 

 

 

END OF CHAPTER 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, two chapters in two days! I don't know if I can keep this up, work is getting seriously crazy... Until then, keep reading dear readers and I hope you like it!


	5. Chapter 5

The world froze as both sets of eyes looked at each other. Clarke’s first thought, _Oh, wow,_  was nothing in comparison to how she felt. There was a _tug_  to get near that she couldn’t explain. She was drawn like a moth to this enormous flame that resided in green eyes which absolutely smoldered.

 

Lexa, on the other hand, was speechless. Never in her whole life has she felt like this. Sure, there were moments when she didn’t want to speak, but that was because she was afraid to say the wrong thing. This time she just had no thoughts, except that more than anything she wanted to just live in the here and now because of her, this person that was right in front of her.

 

“Ahem.” The voice brought both of them to the present, Clarke whirling around like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Not that I’m not a fan of eye-fucking, but this isn’t the time and place. And you need to get her order, Clarke,” Raven said with a smirk.

 

“Raven! We were not eye-- whatever it is that you said,” Clarke admonished, turning to Lexa. “So sorry about her, she absolutely has no filter whatsoever.”

 

Lexa laughed softly. “That’s alright, my sister’s no better.” She reached out her hand. “My name is Lexa. It’s nice to meet an artist as talented as you are.”

 

Clarke didn’t want to sound like a cliche, but she felt electricity course through her hand when they touched. At the way Lexa’s eyes widened she was sure she wasn’t the only one who noticed. She liked the way Lexa’s hand fitted in hers, too. The grip was strong and feminine at the same time. She could actually paint her hands, they were so graceful…

 

“Let go of her hand Clarke, you perv,” Raven chuckled. Mortified, Clarke broke the contact off, not even noticing that she held on to it longer than was socially acceptable.

 

“Sorry, I’ve been awake more than I should,” Clarke said, shooting arrows at Raven. She looked back at Lexa whose eyes crinkled with amusement.

 

“That’s okay, I’ve been known to do the same thing,” Lexa said to put her at ease. “I’m actually waiting for my brother. Do you know him? Lincoln?”

 

Lincoln. Oh, right, O’s boyfriend. And this is the sister. Geez. “Uhm, not really, but that’s Octavia,” she pointed to her friend who was now laughing with Raven. “She’s one of my bestfriends, and your brother’s girlfriend. We both agreed to help Raven out here tonight.”

 

“Oh, so you don’t really work here?” Lexa asked.

 

Clarke shook her head. “Believe it or not this is actually like a vacation compared to my real job.” She motioned to Lexa to take one of the bar stools. “I work in New York.” Clarke went to the back of the counter, getting a glass. “Can I get you a beer while you wait?”

 

Lexa nodded. “Sure.” She watched Clarke prepare her drink, appreciating the natural curves of her body before she caught herself. _Get a grip Lexa, this is so not appropriate _,__  she told herself. Making a mental note to not be distracted, Lexa continued. “So where do you work, if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard of this place, it’s called Jaha Gallery,” Clarke replied.

 

Lexa nodded to her to mean she has heard of it.

 

Clarke kept herself busy cleaning the already clean countertop, wiping her hands on her apron when she was done. “I would love to say that I have a glamorous job, but really all I do is follow people around when they’re looking at pieces and when no one’s there I… clean.” She looked down, obviously embarrassed at her work description.

 

“Hey,” Lexa said, leaning over the counter to place her hand on Clarke’s arm. Clarke looked up into Lexa’s eyes and saw sincerity. “Don’t you ever feel unimportant. I’ve seen what you can do and it’s damn impressive.” She took her hand away and sat back down before continuing. “If you don’t mind me asking, why haven’t you shown Jaha your pieces? I mean, I’m sure if he saw them he’d be blind to not see the talent that you have.”

 

Clarke blushed. “Thank you for saying that, it’s been a while since anyone’s appreciated them. Even my boyfriend doesn’t really like talking about my art.” At the drop of the b word, Lexa’s eyes slitted a little, too fast for anyone to notice. _Huh. Boyfriend. Okay._ Lexa made a mental head shake to clear her mind with that revelation.

 

“Yeah, Finn works for this magazine company. I actually thought he’d help me get a leg in but he really just ignores my art works,” Clarke said, a little ashamed for opening up so quickly to this stranger but relieved that someone could see her potential.

 

Lexa was taking a drink but paused at the name. “Finn? Finn Collins?”

 

Clarke’s eyes widened. “How do you know Finn?” she asked.

 

“Uhm, okay, I may not have said my full name, my apologies. My name is --”

 

“LEXA!” A thundering voice bellowed. Everyone turned their heads to see a tall, muscular man walking eagerly towards the brunette, his smile so wide it could almost split his cheeks open. “How are you lil sis?” he asks, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her to her feet, earning a brief shriek from her.

 

“Put me down you big bear,” Lexa laughed, hugging him back once her feet were back on the ground. “I missed you.”

 

He tousled her hair a little bit. “You’re the one who hasn’t visited me in three years, Lex. I was just here, you know.” He smiled and ushered her back to her seat, sitting beside her. “What did you get?”

 

Clarke took in the spectacle with a somewhat gleeful yet surprised reaction. Her first impression of Lexa was this very serious woman but after that display she was inclined to change her mind. Reserved was the better description, but warm to family and close friends. She replied to Lincoln’s question. “I got her beer, you want to get one too?”

 

“Sure,” Lincoln responded. He took a look around and spotted Octavia, his smile getting a little gentler. “Hey, uhm, she’s here so be nice, okay?”

 

Lexa laughed in reply. “Of course, I’m always nice. Seriously Linc, just introduce me already,” Lexa said.

 

Lincoln smiled and walked over to Octavia. It was clear from his expression how taken he was of her, and Octavia was no different. She flung her arms around him and gave him a good kiss, laughing when he sort of got this warm look in his eyes. He motioned to Lexa’s direction as they both started walking.

 

Clarke and Lexa were looking at Lincoln and Octavia’s display and both were smiling from genuine happiness. Clarke glanced at Lexa almost by instinct as Lexa looked at Clarke at the same time. As their eyes met Clarke was not sure how to react so she dropped her glance to the floor again. Before Lexa could say anything Octavia and Lincoln approached her.

 

“Hey Lexa, I’d like you to meet Octavia, my girlfriend. She works with me at the police station,” he proudly says.

 

“Pleasure to meet you Octavia,” Lexa extended her hand. Octavia laughed and hugged Lexa instead. “Sorry if Lincoln didn’t tell you this, but I’m a hugger.” Lexa laughed softly, clearly taken a little aback but comfortable enough at the affection. “I’d like to think we’re friends already, seeing as you were already getting cozy with one of my very best friends,” Octavia said motioning to Clarke, to which Clarke stuck her tongue out at her.

 

“So you’re Clarke,” Lincoln said, offering his hand out to Clarke. “Nice to finally meet you.”

 

Clarke took his hand. “I would hug you as well but I seriously stink,” she laughed.

 

“Maybe another time,” Lincoln said with a smile. He looked around for a table for all them to sit. “Hey Octavia, are you still helping out or are you good to sit down with us?”

 

“Go ahead and sit guys,” Clarke said. “I can take this, O. Anyway the crowd’s winding down a little now.”

 

At that point Raven spoke up. She was watching the whole thing, and unbeknownst to them all was already scheming to get Lexa and Clarke together as often as she could. She totally saw how Clarke lit up when Lexa appreciated her art, appreciated _her _,__ nothing she saw or felt when Clarke was with Finn. She could be a secret Santa and let Clarke have a good holidays. “You know what Clarke, why don’t you go hang out with them? I’m going to put the Closed sign in a while and I’m just going to sit here at the bar anyway.”

 

“You sure?” Clarke asked. She was not really looking forward to working all night but she was actually more nervous sitting with Lexa. She was not sure why but there was just something about her that she couldn’t describe.

 

“Of course I’m sure, idiot. Now go,” she laughed, swatting Clarke with her towel. Clarke grinned and followed the three others to their table. Octavia and Lincoln were seated side by side, so she had no choice but to sit beside Lexa. She knew she was acting differently around her, she was never really this self-conscious around other people but Lexa just seemed to have that effect on her.

 

“So, Lexa,” Octavia opened. “I’ve heard from Linc that you own a company in New York. What is it that you do, exactly?”

 

Lexa smiled. “I own this magazine company called Woods Publishing, not sure if you’ve heard of it.”

 

At Clarke’s gasp the three of them turned to her. “So that’s how you knew Finn, he works for you?”

 

Lexa nodded. “Yes, he actually oversees leads, which is kind of curious because he does give out good ones but completely missed out on introducing the best that was right under his nose…” her eyebrows were a bit scrunched at this as she trailed off.

 

Clarke didn’t know what to say, except to respond with a weak, “Yeah, Finn and I have been together almost two years now, and maybe he just didn’t see… I mean appreciate…” At this Clarke looked down again, clearly uncomfortable. She didn’t know if she should defend Finn or bash him.

 

“So it’s good that you met Lexa, kind of went straight to the top,” Octavia said to clear the air. “Clarke here, as you can see from that wall, is our very talented friend. Clarke, you should show Lexa the photos you took of your paintings. You do have them at your laptop, right?”

 

“Yes,” Clarke mumbled. She was far from shy, really, but she just couldn’t shake off the feeling that Finn might have helped her but just willfully didn’t. He even pushed her away from art back to medicine, which was not really a bad option except that he made her feel that she couldn’t go anywhere with what she was doing. Him, who was already working for a magazine company she adored and still ignored her.

 

Lexa could sense Clarke being a bit off, so she carefully tried to bring her back to a better state. “Hey, you think you could show me tomorrow? I mean I know it’s Christmas but I’d really like to see what else you have, if it’s anything like what you have here then everything must be amazing.” She could tell she was a bit successful when she saw Clarke look up at her to give her a warm smile back.

 

“Sure, maybe Raven and I could drive over in the afternoon. O can just text us the address,” Clarke said, clearly feeling a bit better.

 

Lexa brightened up at her response. Although she had just met Clarke not even a few hours ago, she vowed to do whatever it took to see her smile.

 

“Great!” Linc said. “We’re just going to chill at the house so you’re free to drop by anytime.” Octavia leaned to whisper in his ear, clearly telling him something that did not involve chilling at the way his laugh sounded.

 

“You two, I’m staying at the guest room downstairs so be nice and let me sleep,” Lexa rolled her eyes and, holy moly __winked__  at Clarke, letting her know she was in on the secret.

 

Clarke almost choked as she gulped her beer. Lexa was seriously sexy without even trying, it was a miracle no one caught her with steam coming out of her ears at how embarrassed she was.

 

Lexa on her end was trying to play it cool but was amused at how Clarke reacted. It was a mixture of adorable and shy and startled and most of all attractive and she just wanted to see Clarke do that again and again. _God I’m a gay mess,_ Lexa thought.

 

The four of them continued talking until past twelve, when Raven came to their table to tell them she was closing up. “And Clarke clearly needs it, look at her, she’s dropping from her chair already.” Raven was not really far from accurate, the only thing keeping Clarke awake at this point was adrenaline at being close to Lexa’s side.

 

They laughed, the four of them standing from the table to help Raven out with closing. All of them went out on the street, Clarke and Raven hugging O goodbye. While O was walking to Lincoln’s car Lexa stopped to say goodbye to Clarke.

 

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” Lexa smiled.

 

Clarke smiled back. “Looking forward to it.” She shoved her hands under her jacket, unclear whether she should shake her hand or hug her.

 

“Okay, uhm bye,” Lexa gave a little wave after she got in her car and drove off.

 

Raven watching the conversation just laughed. “You have got it bad, Clarke,” she said as she turned to go to the back of the bar towards the stairs leading to her upstairs apartment.

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Reyes,” Clarke replied. She was glad for the dark surroundings or one look and Raven could see how much of a lie it was.

 

“Yeah, yeah, keep telling that to yourself,” Raven chuckled.

 

Clarke was more exhausted than she thought, sleeping almost at the same time her head hit the pillow. She slept as well as she did for longer than she could remember. She would not admit to Raven the next day, but she dreamt of a commander who kept her safe from harm, a woman who vowed to treat her needs as her own, a person with familiar green eyes and a loving smile.

 

 

 

END OF CHAPTER 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry for what I did there, just couldn't help adding those lines at the end. 😉

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading until the end of the chapter! I promise to update once a week or more when my schedule is not as tight. Again, thank you dear readers! ❤️


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